


Hey, Little One

by auber_jean



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Goodbyes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 03:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16188674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auber_jean/pseuds/auber_jean
Summary: “You’re not slick, Lee Jeno,” Renjun says with joyful laughter so warm that it floods Jeno’s entire body. “But it’s okay, I’ll miss you too.”In which Renjun is set to leave for China for the new unit promotions, and Jeno finds a way to say goodbye to the boy that means so much more than he expected.





	Hey, Little One

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from Highly Suspect's "Little One"

Jeno wakes up to shuffling noises from the living room. He blinks away the sleep from his eyes, laying on his back before he summons the strength to get up. The shuffling continues from outside, and Jeno frowns a little when he hears the distinct pattern of footsteps rushing back and forth. He slides out of bed, trying to keep quiet as he makes his way passed Jungwoo’s sleeping form, shutting his room door shut and walks out into the living area. 

Out in the light, he spots Renjun already dressed in his usual jeans and hoodie, moving to zip his luggage shut and hauling it towards the entrance. 

Jeno moves to stand by the doorway, not bothering to keep his movements quiet. He’s sure that Renjun would have sensed him at least. He watches as Renjun bends down to tie his shoelaces. The white strings twined around his fingers as he loops them around and pulls to tighten the knot, tugging them twice firmly in finality.

“When will you be back?” Jeno asks finally, unable to stand the silence for much longer.

Renjun turns to him then, sharp eyes blinking away in the dim lights. He doesn’t look surprised to see Jeno standing there, so he just continues adjusting his shoes, eventually standing to bounce back on his heels. 

“I don’t know yet. They haven’t outlined all the schedules yet. Could be a week, could be a month,” he replies with a shrug. 

He seems unaffected by the fact, but there has always been more to it. Jeno knows that Renjun has been eager for the 116 team debut ever since the beginning. Over the years, Renjun had waited until the members trickled into place and the team started to mould into something realistic and feasible in the grand scheme of things. That dream was becoming a reality.

Jeno can’t help but be a bit envious at the security of the idea. Renjun debuting in China was a sure thing. The other boy had made his sacrifices in coming to Seoul on his own, guided by his immovable goal of becoming a singer. Jeno has seen the ups and downs of it all, in the moments where Renjun looked homesick, unable to go back home during their shorter breaks. Or standing confused amongst the cultural differences between here and back home. Renjun tried to make those differences as small as possible, but Jeno understands that he’s as vulnerable to them as anyone else, no matter how hard the other boy tries to hide it. 

In opposite effect, Jeno had lived his entire life in Seoul and knew nothing else. He had lived his entire life in the limelight of some sort, and moving forward it was anyone’s guess where he would end up. His future was as up in the air as the rest of them. Dream was rotational, and they only had one year left before they would be shunted off into their new positions in wherever the company saw fit. 

Renjun leaving was part and parcel with that. 

He deserves this, Jeno knows. Renjun has worked as hard as he has since the beginning. It was only a given that Renjun would be given the opportunity to be something bigger than what they currently were. Jeno has always thought that Renjun deserved the world if he could give it.

There were too many things that he was feeling, and none of them felt right to say.

“Take care of yourself over there,” he says instead, feeling the need to fill in the gap.

Renjun’s lips lift into a small smile, eyes crinkling in amusement in the same way that he always does when he thinks Jeno has said something strange. Jeno wonders if Renjun can see right through him.

For some reason, Renjun lets it pass. “You take care of yourself too. I better not come back and see the dorm a mess.”

Jeno chuckles. “I don’t know if I can keep that promise. We have Jisung, remember?”

The other boy lets out a snort at that. His hands fiddle with the hooks of his belt. He pauses, seeming to consider something. Jeno’s curiosity is wiped away when Renjun says, “You can stay in my room if you want. Jaemin tried to call dibs, but I’ll let you have it.”

“What for?” Jeno blinks.

“You’ve never had your own room in the dorms,” Renjun starts, mouth curving into a bright smile. The kind that’s almost blinding. The kind that always manages to make Jeno’s heartbeat into overdrive. 

“Also,” he continues. “In case you miss me.” 

Jeno sputters. “What–?”

“You’re not slick, Lee Jeno,” Renjun says with joyful laughter so warm that it floods Jeno’s entire body. “But it’s okay, I’ll miss you too.”

And then it’s there. Out in the open. Renjun has never been the type to mince his words, especially the ones that matter. Jeno feels his mouth open and close, still trying to gather the right words to respond. But Renjun is still smiling, jubilant over having caught Jeno off-guard.

Renjun’s phone pings, signalling a message from their manager to come down to the car. Jeno watches as Renjun readjusts his jacket, fiddling with the zipper, as he kicks his backpack by his feet.

Jeno stares down at his socked feet against the wooden floorboards, unnerved by his own speechlessness. 

“Hey.”

Renjun is closer now, barely a step away. His expression cloaked in something warm. Jeno’s face warms at the intensity of his stare.

Then Renjun reaches out, his hand taking Jeno’s and intertwining their fingers, slow but sure. It’s one of the rare instances where Renjun initiates it. It’s always been subtle touches here and there between them. With Jeno chasing Renjun’s hands and finding out the limits to what his touch could be, and what it could possibly mean. But this time, it’s Renjun’s fingers moulding into his, and it almost seems surreal. 

“I’ll call you when I land.”

“You’ll be busy,” Jeno responds, the words weak as they drop from his lips. 

He doesn’t want to be greedy for Renjun’s time. Especially not now, not when they both have their jobs and commitments to do, their futures to think of. He isn’t sure what this is, but as much as he wants it, he doesn’t want to be a burden. He doesn’t want to be selfish when Renjun has given him so much.

But Renjun doesn’t waver. His hand still gripping firm. “Then I’ll message you when I can.”

Jeno can’t help the way that his lips quirk up at the self-assured words. It’s never been in Renjun to back down when he doesn’t want to.

“Fine,” he says finally. 

It’s a promise, of sorts. 

Renjun’s phone pings again. He pulls the device from his pocket, scanning the message before typing away a quick reply. Jeno glances at the clock on the wall nearby the kitchen. 6:47 a.m. He’s on the verge of running late. 

Jeno lets Renjun pull their hands apart, reluctant to do it himself so that the other can turn to leave. He misses the warmth immediately.

So Jeno can’t help it when he calls out, “Injun-ah.”

When Renjun turns around, Jeno is already stepping forward, wrapping his arms around the other boy. He feels Renjun’s surprise at the gesture, before relaxing into it, his hands rising to rest around Jeno’s waist. Comfortable and natural, as if it was where they should always be.

“Do well over there,” he lets himself say into the crook of Renjun’s neck, meaning every word of it, breathing him in.

Jeno can’t imagine Renjun doing anything without giving it his all, it’s the ambitious part of him. The part of him that strives to do his best. A part that Jeno admires. That he loves.

They unravel themselves after a moment, but Jeno indulges himself and lets his hands linger against Renjun’s hips. Pleased at the fact that Renjun doesn’t seem to mind the touch at all. 

Renjun grins up at him, and Jeno feels as though his entire world has shrunk down to this entire moment with just the two of them. 

It’s then that Renjun leans forward, pressing his lips against Jeno’s cheek, soft and chaste. Jeno stuns bewildered before his entire face erupts into a whole-hearted smile. 

“I’ll see you soon, Lee Jeno,” Renjun says in finality, pulling away slowly.

Jeno lets him go, hands falling to rest by his sides, watching as Renjun shoulders his backpack and rolls his carry-on ahead of him out the door. Renjun gives him a small smile and a slight wave before the door shuts behind him. 

He stands there for a moment, reality sinking into his bones, and a weird sense of giddiness settling in his chest. He moves eventually, settling on the couch and turning on the TV onto the morning news, turning the volume down low not wake the other members.

He watches as the news reports drone on and on, barely paying attention and instead thinking about the boy travelling miles away for however long.

Time wasn’t on their side today, but for now, Jeno feels like he can manage.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been dying to write a noren fic, but I've been struggling with my other current wips. But I somehow managed to write this one out, so I'm happy I have something to finally share with y'all. Also, this marks my first fic for the NCT fandom woot~


End file.
